An award – winning new Taranaki health building is attracting attention from around the globe.
Te Huhi Raupō (The Taranaki Renal Unit), designed to give patients a warm and inviting functional treatment space, is a work of art.
It has won the European Healthcare Design Awards, The Green Building Design New Zealand Rider Levett Bucknall Property Industry Awards and the public architecture Western Architecture Awards 2023.
Many aspects of the space were created using the generosity of in-kind donations including the more aesthetic aspects of the space, and the unit’s award winning external stainless steel artwork.
“A dollar raised or a dollar saved has the same benefit,” says Adrian Sole, General Manager, Taranaki Health Foundation. “Some of the nice finer details that make a big difference to staff wellbeing and patient enjoyment get cut because the funds have to go into functional stuff.”
Taranaki crafted sheet metal engineers Rivet Ltd gave life to artwork designed to be showcased on the building’s exterior.
“Rivet have been involved with the Foundation since 2016, first involved with the mobility garden and now this latest project here at the renal unit,” says Steve Scott, Rivet Ltd Managing Director. “We always look to support things that support families and our community.
“We get involved very early on and the artist knew what they wanted, they wanted to use a material that was particular to Taranaki and to the hospital, of course that’s stainless steel.
“We were able to take his concept sketches and turn them into a design that would suit our profile cutting and then make them out of some stainless steel. The material fits, so does the theme behind it and the story that the artist wanted to create follows right through the building as well.” Light fabrication is the art of the engineering world, Steve says.
“Our guys are quite artistic so to take a little bit of what we’ve done at places such as The Len Lye Centre, which is purely art, and to splash it around here, we’re really proud.” Rivet Ltd are also responsible for crafting The Len Lye Centre’s waved mirror-finish exterior steel work. Considering making in-kind donations is something Steve and Adrian both encourage businesses to consider.
Steve and Adrian encourage other businesses to consider in-kind donations.
“It’s about all of us pitching in, helping clients, just having a go and making a difference,” Steve says. Taranaki Health Foundation partners have been giving in-kind donations since 2013, Adrian says. “It’s a real testament to the community that they’re leaving these legacies. We appreciate it.”
The Taranaki Health Foundation team are happy to hear from anyone interested in supporting their work.
“If you’re interested in following in the footsteps of Rivet and you’ve got goods or services, it could be electrical, plumbing, painting, fabrication, or you’ve got a new product that might be the right fit and you’d like to launch it, or you just want to understand more about how you could fit in, it could even be through volunteering, give myself or the team a call and we’ll have a coffee, have a chat and see how it would work for you.”
For more information or to discuss a possible design project, contact Steve Scott, Rivet Ltd by emailing tkoffice@rivet.net.nz
For more information about in-kind donations or to find out how to get involved with the Taranaki Health Foundation’s work, contact
Grant Carter, Donor Relationship Manager, grant@thf.org.nz